This week on a car trip I listened to the audiobook of Winnie the Pooh and laughed anew at the stories I loved as a child. I especially always love that Pooh is a poet, and makes up poems when he’s feeling sad, or glad, or just because. They are often nonsensical but always fun to repeat.
This lead me, in turn, to pick up my copies of A.A. Milne’s poetry books and revisit them. I was home alone and found myself reading them aloud, because that is what I felt like doing (As an aside, being home alone can be just fabulous for thing like reading!).
And I came back to how much I love many of those poems, but always always this one:
Halfway Down
Halfway down the stairs
is a stair
where I sit.
there isn’t any
other stair
quite like
it.
(you can read the rest of the poem, which is copyright, here)
Why this poem? I think because, growing up, we had a big staircase and those stairs were the scene of a lot of games. I grew up in a country hotel and we lived upstairs while my parents ran their business downstairs. the stairs were not grand, but to a child they were exciting, and adventurous, and I spent many hours trying to master jumping to skip more than the bottom three, or to slide down the bannister (sorry Mum). But also, just sitting on the stairs, reading, or waiting for Mum, or dreaming.
So, it seemed this poem was written just for little me. And when I read it now I still get the tingle of rightness of this being for me, about me. Do you have a poem from your own childhood that does this – or, like me, more than one such poem?
I am pretty sure I have shared this clip before, but what’s not love about Robin the Frog sharing my favourite poem?
These days I don’t love stairs so much, but on my beach walks, I do need to climb down (and then, of course, back up)these amazing stairs.
And now I’m off to find more poetry that makes me smile, because it’s Poetry Friday, hosted today by Carmela at Teaching Authors.
What a wonderful post, Sally! It is one of those feel-good touches after reading. Thanks for reminding me of my childhood days and the stone steps that my friends and I played stone teacher. Robin did a wonderful job of adding to the poetic goodness.
I didn’t know this poem–thanks so much for sharing it Sally. I grew up in a one-floor home, so never had stairs to sit on like these, but I love the poem nonetheless.
Thanks Carmela.
I love your Winnie the Poem reverie and how you took time to stop and revisit A.A. Milnes’ poetry. I can just imagine you in the perfect spot–neither here nor there–just reading. Also, on a total tangent, I’m fascinated by Robin the Frog. This must be the Australian Muppet version of our beloved Kermit. Does he, too, have a Miss Piggy in his life?
Thanks Molly. Actually Robin used to feature occasionally on both Sesame Street and the Muppet Show – billed as Kermit’s nephew. So, not an Australian invention – just a lesser known muppet. But he was always very cute.
Thank you for reminding me of going back to childhood. Not only is it a great source of comfort and fun…but, it’s a great source of ideas. I love this poem you posted. All kinds of memories bubble up. Living in a hotel? How interesting! No wonder you became a storyteller.
Thanks Linda. Yes, the hotel did indeed produce a lot of stories! One day I will write more about it.
I love this poem! And I love Kermit singing it. And I used to go to a lake where there were stairs like the one in your photo. They were quite an adventure going up and down.
Thanks Janice. Yes those big stair climbs are indeed an adventure 🙂
I so enjoyed Robin’s song 🙂
What a fun memory and a perfect poem!
Thank you Patricia.
Kermit sings for all of us, doesn’t he? I read many a Milne poem & Winnie-the-Pooh to my first graders when I began teaching, then to my own children. My children played on our stairs, too, challenging themselves to leap as far as possible. Your post made me laugh, Sally, & love your new “beach” stairs!
Thanks Linda. Always glad to make people smile 🙂
Now you made me want to get out my childhood volumes of Winnie the Pooh and reread them all!
As for a childhood poem, it would be Who Has Seen the Wind by Christina Rossetti, especially the second stanza:
Who has seen the wind?
Neither you nor I:
But when the trees bow down their heads,
The wind is passing by.
I grew up in a dry, flat, windy place, and this poem felt like it was written just for me!
Thanks Mary Lee – and yes I love Rosetti’s poem though somehow didn’t come across it until I was grown.
I love/d that Stairs poem and I’m also fond of Lines and Squares — ‘Bears! Just look how I’m walking in all the squares!’ seems so much more fun than ‘break your mother’s back!’ (Especially now I’m the mother with the back in question.)
Oh yes Rebecca – that is another wonderful one!